Wedding Woes
by Miss Mysty
Summary: Kisa caves to a friend's wishes and ends up going to a wedding in Hokkaido, with Yukina along for the ride.  But, unfortunately for Kisa, not every moment will involve relaxing in the hot springs.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kisa decided that everyone around him needed to stop getting married. It wasn't like he was bitter or anything; even if he could get married, he didn't want to. But one of his friends from college was getting married, and had invited him out to the ceremony in Hokkaido simply because they were still in contact and that made the man feel like he had to invite him. Kisa could, of course, reject the invitation, and he had fully intended to. Except it had been Yukina who got his mail. That was one of the downsides of him being there constantly: no filter for things like this.

"Do you plan to go, Kisa-san?" Yukina asked. He was doing the morning chores as Kisa nursed a cup of coffee. Soon they'd both be off, Kisa to his job and Yukina to his morning class, but the cycle had just ended and they rarely had time together like that even with Yukina staying the night. Initially, Kisa had felt uncomfortable leaving his boyfriend alone in his apartment, but he couldn't remember the last time it had looked so clean. Also Yukina kept the fridge stocked and had refused Kisa's offer to pay him back at least half of the grocery bill, which was nice.

At the question, though, Kisa narrowed his eyes over his coffee cup. "No," he said, and he tossed the invitation onto the coffee table and stood up. He was probably going to be late to work, and he wasn't sure whether Takano would be lenient on him since it was the start of the new cycle. Better to just get in and hope he wasn't noticed.

By the time he did get to the office, he sat down in his chair and immediately jumped at a harsh buzzing in his pocket. He'd forgotten he had stowed his cell phone in the back pocket of his jeans, and the vibration against his bottom wasn't exactly the best thing to be happening to him in a public setting. He ripped his phone out and opened it to see he'd gotten a text from Yukina.

_The invitation says you can bring a guest. I can go with you._

Kisa scowled down at his phone.

_That's not the issue. I just don't like things like that. Too many people._

He thought that was that, and he went about his day like usual. Well, maybe not usual, because he didn't have nearly as much work as he did later in the month. He actually found the time to go down to the lounge and get something out of the vending machine, because in his haste to get out of his apartment before Yukina could push the wedding point further, he hadn't picked up his lunch.

And, as he was at his vending machine, that's when he got the call. At first he expected it to be Yukina, but then he remembered that his boyfriend would be in class at that point. It was, however, his soon-to-be-married friend.

"Hey, Shouta!" the friend, Kenichi, said by way of greeting. "You got the invitation, right?"

"Yeah, and I can't go," Kisa said, leaning down to get his drink out of the vending machine. "You know how much work I have. I could never take that much time off."

"Aw, Shouta, it's just the weekend," Kenichi said. "Besides, the ceremony is in a town right near Noboribetsu Onsen. You could relax there and go back to that magazine of yours a new man."

Kisa thought about that, at least for a split second. It was tempting, being February, to take up his offer. "I can talk to Minako and get you a bath pass for Dai-Ichi Takimotokan. It's a small price to pay to get my old friend here."

And there it was: the offer of free stuff. Kisa would, of course, be reaching into his wallet for a wedding present if he went, not to mention the money it'd take to get there. But Dai-Ichi Takimotokan had the largest amount of hot spring baths in Japan. And Noboribetsu Onsen, he'd been told, had some locally-made beer that everyone should try at least once. Kisa had never tried it, and who was he to go through life without that experience?

"Fine," Kisa said. "I can't guarantee it, but I'll see if I can come."

"Don't forget a guest!" came Minako's voice in the background, and Kisa made a face before just hanging up.

He stared at his phone for a long time before sighing and bringing up a blank text message.

_Get the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month off. We're going._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

February didn't pass by any faster than any other month. If Kisa had to say, though, he'd say it went slower than usual. He tried to get his manuscripts in on time so he wouldn't be working while at Kenichi's wedding; after all, he was determined to enjoy himself, and sitting in his hotel room shouting through his mobile at delinquent manga-ka was not his idea of relaxing.

Kisa had had to sneak out of the office Thursday night, though. Even though he'd managed to kick and scream and blackmail until his authors got their final pages to him in enough time for him to proof and approve, everyone else was still probably going to pull an all-nighter. He'd already gotten approval to have the three days off, anyway, but he just knew someone would try to get him to stay to help them. He almost said goodnight to his coworkers as he slipped out of the office, but he stopped himself. Most of them were out of it or asleep; it wouldn't help his stealthy escape to make them aware of him.

Yukina was working until close despite the fact that they were taking an early train. He'd said something about saving up for the trip, even though Kisa had pointed out he wouldn't need to spend a single yen on himself. He'd already gotten the hotel and train tickets, after all, and it wasn't like Yukina was expected to bring a gift. When he'd said that, though, Yukina just smiled and went about his business, which at the time was drawing.

As Kisa headed out of Marukawa, glancing around to make sure no one who might drag him back to the Emerald office had seen him, his phone went off. He didn't notice it at first, mostly because he was a special kind of drained after the cycle that made his entire body rather shaky, and he'd left his phone on vibrate so his ringtone wouldn't sound-off during the day and give someone a heart attack. By the time he managed to answer it, it had gone to voice mail. He just sighed and put it back in his pocket. Whoever it was, they'd call back again if it was important enough. Right then, all he wanted to do was go home and pass out. He still had packing to do, but that could be done in the morning, when he'd had his coffee.

* * *

><p>Kisa slept on the train, mostly. He wasn't sure what he did at home other than immediately pass-out as soon as he saw the couch, but he'd woken up in his own bed, tucked in nice and snug. He was alone, but he'd heard Yukina humming in the kitchen, so he'd reluctantly gotten out of the warmth of his bed to find his boyfriend packing bento for both of them. Kisa had never finished packing, but bags for both of them had been sitting over by the couch, all stuffed with clothing and other things they'd need for the trip and ready to go.<p>

Sometimes, in moments of weakness, Kisa really did wonder what he'd done before Yukina was there to take care of him. Those times didn't last that long, though, mostly because he still wasn't willing to be quite that mushy, even in his own head.

For the last hour or so of the ride, though, Kisa found himself unable to keep sleeping. It wasn't that he wasn't tired, but his head kept buzzing with the possible scenarios involved in introducing Yukina to Kenichi and Minako. Most of his college friends hadn't been involved in his sexual conquests, so as far as they knew, he just hadn't found the right girl yet. One or two he still kept in contact with would say he should just settle down, that having a wife around would be good for his stress, since he wouldn't have to take care of himself in addition to the artists he managed for Emerald. Kisa had not hesitated to complain to whoever would listen about manga-ka and how they're physically incapable of meeting a deadline.

"Kisa-san, do you know the woman your friend is marrying?" Yukina asked when he noticed Kisa was awake, just watching the landscape rush by.

"Yeah, kind of," Kisa said. "Ito Minako. They started dating around the time we graduated. I'm surprised it took them this long to get married, honestly." Kisa put a hand up to his face and yawned, then rubbed his eyes. "Haven't seen Kenichi face-to-face in years, though. We talk over the phone and email and such. I guess that's why he was so excited about having me come to this thing."

Yukina just smiled, pulling his headphones off and turning off his MP3 player. He had been awake for the whole trip, mostly because if Kisa was still out when they got to Sapporo, someone would have to wake him up. He knew his boyfriend would prefer a gentle shake from him (or possibly a kiss, if he wasn't in a bad mood) to one of the train attendants having to come along and yell at him.

Kisa had his eyes closed, but he cracked one open again and looked at Yukina. "What are you smiling about?"

"I'm just happy that I get to meet people you knew before we met," Yukina said, fiddling with his headphones.

"I knew your brother before I met you," Kisa pointed out, closing his eyes again.

"That's not the same," Yukina said, his voice not even wavering. The issue of Kisa and his brother's past had never bothered him, or at least, that's how he made it seem to Kisa. It was, after all, in the past, and Yukina had said he didn't care about all the men Kisa slept with as long as, right then, Yukina was the only one he was seeing.

Before Kisa could comment further, his phone went off. He hadn't even looked at it since he missed that call last night, and when he pulled it out of his pocket, he saw that it was Kenichi calling.

"We're on our way, don't worry," Kisa said before Kenichi could even say anything.

"I know, I know," Kenichi said. He sounded kind of frazzled, but then, his wedding was the next day. Kisa could understand being a bit frazzled. "Minako just wanted to make sure you're bringing a guest. I have no clue what her obsession is with this but…"

"Yeah, yeah, my plus one is right here beside me." Kisa settled back into his chair. "Yukina couldn't wait to go. Up at the crack of dawn to finish packing, I've been told." He glanced at his boyfriend, who just smiled and pulled the bento he'd packed out of his bag. Before Kenichi could say anything more, Kisa added, "I'll see you when we get to the hotel." And then he hung up.

"Will other friends from college be there?" Yukina asked as he broke apart a pair of disposable chopsticks.

"Probably," Kisa said. "Pain in the ass if you ask me."

"Then why are you going?"

"Onsen."

"Ah."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They had managed to transfer at Sapporo and get to Noboribetsu Onsen without incident. Kisa was in a better mood even, and by the time they stepped off the train, he was smiling broadly.

"Ah, nothing beats hot springs at this time of year!" he said as he and Yukina walked through the train station, towards the exit. It was only a short walk to the hotel, so they didn't even bother calling a shuttle. "My parents used to bring me to a resort every year, but the minute I moved out, that tradition ended. As if they didn't have the money, not having to pay to feed me and such."

"I'm sure they had their reasons, Kisa-san," Yukina said. He was carrying all of their bags, and Kisa hadn't even noticed.

"Hey, Shouta!"

Kisa turned in time for a tall man with dark hair, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt to approach them. He grinned at Kisa, but then looked puzzled when he saw Yukina standing there, smiling as well. "Who's this?"

"Ah, right." Kisa glanced between the two. "Kenichi, this is Yukina Kou. Yukina, this is my friend, Inoue Kenichi."

"Well this is awkward!" Kenichi said as they started walking again. The town was bustling with activity, stands selling souvenirs as well as locals and tourists alike packing the streets around them. "When Shouta said the name Yukina, I pictured a girl, like his girlfriend! Apparently Minako did too, because she booked a single room for you at the onsen."

"We'll manage," Yukina said, getting a better grip on one of the bags.

"So how did you two meet?"

Yukina just kept walking along, so apparently, that question was for Kisa to field.

"Yukina manages the shojo manga department at a bookstore in Tokyo. A member of Emerald's sales department introduced us, since the books I edit sell really well there."

"Ah, I see!" Kenichi said, and his eyes went between the two, as if trying to decide something. "If you would prefer a room with two futons, I can always see if there are any left. There are obviously a lot of visitors this time of year but…"

Kisa just shook his head, and that was that. To try to change the subject, he grabbed his two bags from Yukina's hands. "You don't have to carry all of them," he said.

"I know, Kisa-san," Yukina said agreeably.

Kenichi said nothing the rest of the time, only speaking to give them the information about tomorrow. Kisa had already known where to go and when, of course, but he let Kenichi keep talking, anyway.

"Minako and I are actually staying at another hotel," Kenichi finished, and he wrote down the information on a piece of paper before handing it to Kisa. "You have my phone number, obviously, but if you need anything before the ceremony tomorrow, feel free to stop by our room."

"Hah, I'm sure you'll be too busy for that," Kisa said.

"Hardly! Minako hasn't let me get away with anything in two weeks. Says it's nerves." Kenichi briefly glanced over to Yukina, who was admiring the view out the large windows. "Speaking of that, what about you, Shouta?"

"What about me?" Kisa asked, two steps away from closing the door on his friend.

Then, Kenichi just smiled and held his hands up like he was surrendering. "Never mind! Minako got you and Yukina-san both passes for the baths for both tonight and tomorrow, so you can go down there whenever you want."

"Thanks, Kenichi," Kisa said. They bowed to each other, and Kenichi left.

Kisa was about to close the door and turn to Yukina when someone came wandering down the hall. He wouldn't have cared, except the person looked familiar.

"…Murakami-sensei?" Kisa asked. The woman turned around to face him, and her face immediately turned to terror.

"K-kisa-san!" she said. Murakami was one of Kisa's authors, and given the month Kisa had had, what with having to threaten death and blackmail to his authors so they'd get their pages in on time, it was completely reasonable that she was scared shitless. "What are you doing here? You're not following me, are you?"

There was a short beat of silence, in which Kisa tried to determine whether she was serious or not. When it looked like she was, Kisa shook his head. "No, a friend of mine is getting married tomorrow. That's why I had to get everyone's manuscripts in on time." When he saw Murakami was still terrified, he said. "I, uh, apologize for saying I'd come out here and rip the manuscript from your cold, dead hands myself, but you know how it is."

Murakami started laughing, mostly relieved but also sounding slightly psychotic. This finally caught Yukina's attention, because he stepped away from the window and joined his boyfriend at the door.

"Kisa-san? Who's this?" he asked.

"Murakami Shizuka," Kisa introduced. "Knowing you, I'm sure you recognize the name."

Yukina's eyes lit up, and Murakami watched with curiosity as Yukina went back into the room. When he emerged again, he had a graphic novel in his hands. "I have all your releases, but I only brought this one! Would you sign it for me?"

Murakami looked a bit baffled, but she ended up borrowing a pen from Kisa and signing the inside cover with a smile on her face. "You're a fan, huh?"

"Of course! I love all the books Kisa-san has edited," Yukina said, a broad smile on his face as he stared down at Murakami's signature. "I'm Yukina Kou, by the way."

Murakami's phone went off before the two could talk any further, and she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I have to take this. I'll be here all weekend, though. We should go out together. Maybe tonight, depending on what this call is." And then she flipped open her cell and continued down the hall, her voice fading as she turned a corner.

"Well. You look happy," Kisa said, glancing at Yukina. He still had the graphic novel open to Murakami's signature and was smiling down at it like it was a gift from God. The weekend wasn't going to be boring, Kisa could tell that much.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Even though Minako and Kenichi had gotten Yukina a bath pass as well, he didn't quite feel up to going out there when Kisa was ready. Kisa found this strange at first, considering it was an opportunity for Yukina to see his boyfriend naked without it seeming strange, but he just shrugged it off. They also had Saturday night, after all.

Noboribetsu seemed to be even more busy at night. When the darkness came, the grand hotels all around the area lit up. The night didn't stop the tourists, however; in fact, the streets seemed to be even more busy than they were when Yukina went through with Kisa and Kenichi. The souvenir stands were doing awesome business, and everywhere Yukina turned, he could hear someone yelling at the crowd to come and buy some trinket or another.

It had been almost ten years since Yukina went to this town with his family, and in a way, it hadn't changed a bit. If anything, it was even more overwhelming than it had been when he was just a child.

"Yukina-san!" A voice broke through the crowd. Yukina was surprised that he could hear it through all the chatter around him, but he did. When he turned, he saw Murakami Shizuka pushing through the crowd. "Is Kisa-san with you?"

"No, Kisa-san wanted to get some use out of the baths. I thought I'd take a look around tonight." Yukina put his hands in the pocket of his coat. He originally thought it would be a bit cold, since it was still the end of February, but with all the bodies milling around, the temperature of the street was actually quite high.

Shizuka smiled, clutching a large bag to her chest. When Yukina looked close enough, he saw that it was already full of souvenirs, mostly the red and blue cans that housed the Noboribetsu Onsen specialty beer. "Ah, would you like to join me, then?" she finally said, looking down at her haul. "I was just going out for dinner, but the friends I came here with had the same idea as Kisa-san, I guess."

"Ah, are you sure it's okay, Murakami-sensei?" Yukina asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Shizuka waved a hand as if waving away any point Yukina might make. "Sure! I came here to celebrate, after all. Thanks to Kisa-san hounding me about getting my manuscript in on time, I actually have some free days until the next cycle starts. I don't think this has happened once since I started working for Emerald." She sighed wistfully and looked up at the sky. It was completely black; all the lights of the resort were blocking any stars that might've shown up.

Yukina sighed as he walked along with Shizuka, but he was smiling. "Kisa-san can be rather scary when he wants to be. That might be why he doesn't like me to visit him in the office." Then he thought about it. "Although I guess another reason might be because it looks like a warzone near the end of the cycle." Yukina shuddered at the thought. Even though his own apartment was usually quite messy (he would think about cleaning, then get distracted by reading or working on a new painting, usually) it was nothing compared to Emerald when you went in at the right, or perhaps wrong, part of the cycle. He'd only been in once, but that had been enough for him.

"Hah, you should see my place," Shizuka said as they came to a stop. They were right outside a modest-looking restaurant. Yukina expected it to be busy inside, but when they stepped in, there were two tables occupied but nothing more than that. "If I thought I could afford it I'd hire a housekeeper, but no one should be subjected to my apartment after a cycle. Last month I got takeout every day. I don't think I threw away a single wrapper."

Yukina just smiled. That wasn't the state Kisa's apartment was in, but only because when it got that bad, Kisa was never home. Taking up the chore of cleaning actually wasn't that hard, even with being a full-time student and a part-time worker. No, the real work came right after a cycle, when Kisa would come home and be basically incapable of doing anything for himself other than sitting there like a zombie.

Not that Yukina would complain about being able to cook his meals and sometimes, when Kisa was really out of it, carry him into the bedroom from wherever he had passed out after getting home from the Emerald office. Being able to spend time together, even if only one of them was awake, was the biggest reason Yukina was insistent that he spend the night so much.

"So what's your story?" Shizuka smiled at Yukina as the two sat down at a table and picked up menus that were already there. It was a small family restaurant, and as Yukina had observed when Shizuka first brought him in, it was basically empty compared to the places around it. It might've been because it wasn't as flashy, but Yukina was perfectly fine with it.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… what do you do? I mean clearly you have awesome taste when it comes to manga." Shizuka smiled when Yukina just had a blank look. "Just kidding, of course." She sat back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. "Honestly, they say being a good author means thinking your stuff is crap. If that's true, then I must be one of the greatest."

"Ah, but I love your series!" Yukina said, his eyes lighting up. "It's very unique. I don't think I've seen another series in Emerald that centered around murder mysteries."

"Well they're not very popular!" Shizuka said, and she leaned forward. Her enthusiasm was clearly showing through. "But I loved mystery novels as a kid. I tried doing josei manga at first, but writing for women doesn't appeal to me." Then she seemed to realize something, and she cleared her throat. "Not that shojo is specifically for girls!"

"It's okay." Yukina smiled. "I run the shojo manga department at the bookstore where I work. I've heard it all."

"Ah, so that's how you met Kisa-san," Shizuka said, nodding in understanding. "He must like you a lot to be willing to drag you all the way out here."

"Well I'm also from the area," Yukina said. "I grew up in Sapporo and only moved to Tokyo when my brother started college here. My parents wanted us to still be close."

Shizuka smiled at Yukina as water and tea was put on the table. Neither had a chance to look at the menus, though, so she sent the waiter away for a few more minutes. "So uh. Why are you two sharing a single room?" she said, glancing over the menu.

Yukina couldn't help the smile that came over his face, and he quickly hid it from view. "I'm sure Kisa-san will be willing to tell you the story."

"By the way…"

"Hmm?" Yukina put his menu aside.

"Do you act that way around all manga-ka?"

"You're the first one I've met, actually. There haven't been any signings at Marimo Books since I started working there." He leaned forward on his hands, his elbows on the table. "Although when I was in high school, I mailed one of my favorite authors. I had a huge crush on her."

Shizuka couldn't help but laugh. "I think I like you, Yukina-san."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kisa had met some of his old college friends when going down to the baths, and by nine o'clock, he was sitting in his and Yukina's hotel room, drinking the local beer that one of said friends had bought in town earlier that day.

"I don't see what's so great about getting married," Kisa said, falling onto his back and letting his legs flop in the air for a second. "I mean, I'm not married, and look at me!"

"Drunk in a hotel room off beer you didn't even buy yourself," said the man, Jin. He glanced around and spotted the shojo manga Yukina had taken out of his bag with intent to read, before deciding to go out into town. "And surrounded by shojo manga. What a life."

"Hey, one, I'm a shojo editor so shut up, and two, those aren't mine. Stupid Yukina, dragging half a bookstore with us." But he let out a wistful sigh as he put a hand over his forehead, feeling a fever coming on. He may or may not have drunk just enough to warrant staying close to the room's personal bathroom. Then he seemed to realize something. "Where the hell is Yukina? It's almost ten."

"I'm guessing you need to keep better watch over your girlfriends, Shouta." That was Takako, a woman who had been determined to be a manga-ka in college but never followed-through with that dream, at least by that point.

"Stupid Takako, Yukina isn't my girlfriend. He'd have to have, y'know…" He glanced over at Takako and waved a hand at her chest. "Those."

"They're called breasts, Shouta," Takako said, and she took them in her hands and raised them up as if making a point. Kisa rolled away from her, flailing like he was in pain. "Oh grow up."

"Hah, I feel old a lot more than you'd think." Another wistful sigh, and Kisa rolled onto his stomach and circled his arms around his head.

Suddenly, the lock on the door clicked, and the door swung open to reveal Yukina, supporting a very disoriented-looking Murakami Shizuka. Kisa let out a harsh laugh. "She's just as smashed as I am! That's hilarious."

"Kisa-san, I thought you were going down to the baths," Yukina said, depositing Shizuka down beside Kisa. The woman immediately went for one of the unopened beers, and no one had the sense of mind to stop her. In fact, they just stared at her. "She won't go back to her own room. She keeps saying she wants to see you."

"Aw, let her stay," Jin said, and he leaned over to Shizuka. "She can drink with us all night if she wants."

"Right, because Minako will be thrilled when we show up to her wedding tomorrow completely shit-faced," Takako said, opening the tab on the can when Shizuka couldn't do it herself.

"We won't be drunk, we'll be hung-over. There's a difference!" Kisa took the beer from Shizuka and started drinking it himself.

Yukina seemed to know better than to intervene in their little party, so he simply sat down on the bed and started reading one of his manga. At one point he glanced over the volume to find Jin and Takako staring at him, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey Murakami-sensei, you know, I'm really glad you were one of the first ones to get your pages in this month," Kisa said. He was done with the beer, and he tossed it to the side. "Wednesday night, Takano-san, he said 'If you don't get everything in by tonight you're not taking vacation.' And just then yours came over! I feel like you're psychic."

"Sometimes I think I am," Shizuka said, staring down at a beer Takako had given her after Kisa stole the first one. "Like, right now, I predict that I'm going to throw up." She started heaving, but nothing came up. Kisa, Jin and Takako still scattered, and Shizuka managed to make it to the bathroom before she let loose.

"Geeze, Yukina, how much did she have before you brought her here?" Kisa asked, sitting back down on the floor.

"I lost count," Yukina said, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Kisa-san, she just seemed so happy to have free time, I didn't have the heart to stop her."

"Aw, whatever. You know I love how you're such a pushover." At 'pushover' Kisa slowly fell to the side until he was laying on the floor, his legs still folded together. When Jin went over and poked him, they discovered that he had fallen asleep.

Yukina shook his head. Kisa didn't seem to know what he was saying, because Yukina being a pushover and not arguing when Kisa couldn't meet up with him for a date was a point of contention between them in the past. He didn't say anything about that, though, mostly because Kisa was asleep and there was no use arguing with a sleeping man. Kisa didn't talk in his sleep, as far as Yukina knew, so anything said to him would be lost.

"Aw, Shouta, you're a lightweight now," Jin said, moving away from his friend. He watched as Yukina walked over and picked up Kisa in his arms, then deposited him on the bed. "I guess we should get going, considering our host passed out."

"It was nice meeting you," Yukina said out of courtesy, even though they hadn't exchanged names or anything like that. Jin and Takako both bowed, though they kind of lost balance in doing so. They hadn't drank quite as much as Kisa, but they had been getting there.

Kisa was snoring softly as he lay there, not looking like he had a care in the world. If it weren't for the fact that Shizuka was still in their bathroom, throwing up the entire contents of her stomach, Yukina might have just laid down beside him and went to sleep himself. It was a bit early, but Kisa would probably be out until morning, so it wasn't like there was anything else to do.

"Murakami-sensei? Are you going to be okay?" Yukina called when the retching finally stopped.

"Maybe."

"Would you like me to help you back to your room?"

"Can't I just stay here? It'd be easier."

Yukina glanced down at Kisa, who by then had spread out his limbs until he had taken up the whole bed. "Sorry, no."

"You're no fun."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Shizuka groaned as she laid face-down on her bed. She could barely move, but she was wide-awake. She hated that combination.

"Here," Yukina said, taking out the pills he'd taken from his room before helping her over to her own.

"Please tell me that's a red pill so I can go back to pretending life is awesome." Shizuka rolled over onto her back, the most movement she'd made in a while; she'd been pretty limp as Yukina dragged her down the hall earlier.

"Sorry, they're some pain killers Kisa-san packed," Yukina said, putting two onto the nightstand beside a bottle of water. "I guess he knew he'd be drinking."

"Hah, good ol' Kisa-san," Shizuka said, staring up at the ceiling. Then she put her arm over her eyes, blocking out the light. "You know this is my first time meeting him face-to-face. We've talked over the phone so much that I thought I knew what he'd be like."

"Did you?"

"Nah. That man is terrifying when I'm on a deadline," Shizuka said. "When I first started writing for Emerald last year, I was so excited that I whipped out the pages and sent them in. Kisa-san made me redo almost all of them. And then of course, there's when I don't get them in on time."

"He seems dedicated."

"Hah, yeah. He told me once, when my storyboard was really late, that I was the reason he has no love life. It hurt me, right in here." She patted her stomach and closed her eyes. "I think that was three months ago. I wonder how he's done since then."

Yukina bowed his head. He and Kisa had been going out for more than three months at that point.

"I wonder," he said.

"Well, wouldn't you know?" Shizuka finally sat up, and she carefully took the two painkillers in her hand. "You two seem close. Close enough for him to drag you all the way up here for a wedding."

"Kisa-san doesn't talk about himself that much." Yukina put a hand to his mouth and thought as Shizuka swallowed her painkillers. "Goodnight, Murakami-sensei. I should probably get to bed now as well."

"Just call me Shizuka. We're friends, aren't we?" Shizuka smiled and fell back into her bed, as if the painkillers were already taking affect.

"Goodnight, Murakami-sensei."

"Call me." She dragged out the 'e' on 'me', and by the time Yukina got to the door, she had fallen asleep.

Kisa was in the bathroom when Yukina got back. The door was open, and when he looked in, his boyfriend was curled up on the floor. There was a mess on the floor from where he obviously didn't make it to the toilet in time. Yukina sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Kisa-san?" he asked, carefully stepping into the bathroom and making sure he didn't step in the pile of vomit. "Are you okay?"

"I'm never going to drink again." He sounded miserable, and his face was pale. Yukina didn't believe him, though, mostly because he'd heard that before. Kisa would drink too much and end up being dragged home by a friend, and when the happiness wore off, he'd get sick and say he would never drink again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Then Kisa glanced up at Yukina. "Where are those painkillers I brought?"

"Right here. I'm sorry, Kisa-san, but Murakami-sensei needed them." Yukina put the bottle beside Kisa and was about to lean down, to do what, he didn't know, since Kisa rarely wanted any kind of help in that state, when his phone went off. Kisa waved him off, and Yukina left the bathroom before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Kou! Why didn't you tell us you were coming to Hokkaido?"

"Ah, hello, Grandma." Yukina carefully closed the door to the bathroom, partly so Kisa wouldn't have to hear the conversation, but mostly because Kisa had crawled over to the toilet again and was dry heaving into it. "I'm sorry. I didn't think to tell you because I'm not in Sapporo. I'm attending a wedding in Noboribetsu."

"Oh how nice." Yukina just knew his grandmother was smiling. "Your friends are getting married already?"

"Well no, it's a friend of a friend." Yukina glanced at the bathroom door. Kisa had gone silent. Carefully, he edged the door open and found Kisa asleep, still leaning over the toilet. "We will have a couple of hours in Sapporo on Sunday, because of our train schedule."

"Well don't be a stranger!" There was murmuring in the background which Yukina could easily identify as his grandfather. It was almost eleven at night, so he was surprised the two were still awake. Even when he was a little kid, spending the night with his grandparents usually meant being in bed by nine. "I have to get to bed now. But feel free to call tomorrow and let me know when you'll be here."

"Of course, Grandma. Goodnight." Yukina ended the conversation at that and leaned against the wall. He was thankful, at least, that she didn't make a big deal about _him_ getting married, but then, he'd probably always be a little kid to her, and she had his older brother to be ragging about those kinds of things.

"Kisa-san? Do you need help?" Yukina asked, poking his head in through the barely-open door. Kisa was still fast asleep, covered slightly in the puke from the floor. It wasn't the most attractive site, but Yukina had to admit that nothing he'd seen so far had put him off Kisa.

Of course, the fact that he said he had no time for a love life while going out with Yukina hurt, the more it stewed in his mind. As he lifted Kisa off the toilet and awkwardly removed the puke-covered pants so they wouldn't get the bed dirty, he sort of wondered if he was there because Kisa wanted him to be, or because he didn't have the energy to say no anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kisa didn't look particularly happy as he sat there at a table at the reception Saturday afternoon. There was an open bar, but that morning he had sworn to Yukina that he would never drink again. He'd made those kinds of promises before and had obviously never kept them, but the pounding headache he woke up with told him it wouldn't be a good idea to break his promise after less than twenty-four hours. He was sure that at the end of the March cycle he'd be happily downing alcohol again.

He felt like he was getting another headache, but it wasn't from a hangover. No, that had gone away by the time they got into the wedding, for which he was glad. He had spent the entire time looking happy to be there, if only for Kenichi's sake. It wasn't so bad, really, but he still wished his friends would stop getting married. He'd go broke at this rate.

All around him were happy wedding guests, dancing to the music and talking with the new couple. Yukina had been whisked away every time he tried to get near Kisa by someone else asking who he was and if he'd like to dance. Yukina would of course reject the dance invitations, but it seemed like every time he tried to speak with Kisa again, someone else was there between them.

"Shouta!" And there was Takako. She looked positively glowing, with her long black hair styled in some sort of fancy pile of curls on top of her head, and a red, low-cut dress. In fact, she looked more like she was going to a cocktail party than a wedding. "I never got to introduce you. This is my fiancé, Jiro."

Kisa stared at them both for half a minute before pounding his head on the table. "When the hell is it going to stop? Everyone around me is getting married."

Takako waved her fiancé off, and he nodded and went over to the open bar. Kisa was kind of jealous. "Well you can't say it's not nice practice for your own wedding someday," she said, taking a chair at the table. Kisa had sat down at a random one that was mostly empty, except for a couple that was chattering in a language that was certainly not Japanese.

"I don't have the money to leave the country." Kisa wrapped his arms around his head but was peeking above them at Yukina, who was, by then, in a very animated conversation with Minako.

"Why would you have to leave the country?"

"…gay marriage can't be performed in Japan, Takako," Kisa said, speaking slowly like he was explaining this to a small child. "I'm sure Yukina would let me know the minute it was."

"…Oh!" Takako looked utterly surprised, and her eyebrows went clear up into her bangs. She turned around to see Yukina heading for them, and for once, it didn't look like he was going to be intercepted. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize!"

"Of all the things I said last night, that Yukina is my boyfriend wasn't one of them?"

"Well no, you talked mostly about getting old and that all manga artists are lazy asses who make you suffer on purpose," Takako said, and for some reason, Kisa believed it. He had those complaints when he wasn't drunk, so at a time when his inhibitions had gone out the window, it probably got even worse. Then again, he didn't remember much of the night; he just woke up in the bed around eight AM to the sound of Yukina showering, and he realized his pants were gone but nothing else was. Somehow, that hadn't surprised him, either.

"Between you and me," Takako said, leaning in to Kisa like she was telling him a secret. "You might want to stay with him the rest of the time. Those women have been eying him all afternoon."

"Hah, that guy is so loyal it's almost disgusting." Kisa shifted his eyes over to Yukina, who, true to form, had gotten distracted by someone talking to him just as he was about to reach the table. "Although he's really friendly no matter what and it kind of pisses me off."

Takako smiled, and much to Kisa's chagrin, she reached forward and patted him on the head like a small child, or maybe a dog. "If you want him to spend time to you, you have to lay claim to him, you know." Yep, Takako definitely seemed to think Kisa was a dog.

Kisa thought seriously about this as Yukina talked with the woman whom Kisa didn't even know. She certainly didn't look like someone he'd hung out with in college. She was smiling and constantly running a hand through her hair as she talked. It wasn't like Yukina was oblivious to this kind of behavior, but all those times talking with his fan club at Marimo Books probably made him immune to it. Kisa had never seen him really respond in those weeks he'd go in and stalk Yukina from behind bookshelves.

What really decided it for him was when Yukina glanced over at him for a split second before looking back at the woman and at least pretending he was enraptured with what she was saying. It was one of his faults, Kisa supposed; he could never just excuse himself even if he had something else to do.

Kisa pushed away Takako's hand, which was still patting his head, and made his way over to Yukina. And then he grabbed his boyfriend by the front of his dress shirt, completely ignoring the woman's protests that they were talking, and kissed him.

Yukina blinked a few times before saying, "Kisa-san?"

"I need sake." Kisa said this in a deadpan tone, and he never let go of the front of Yukina's shirt, instead dragging him with him to the bar. Yukina cautiously sat down on one of the seats near Kisa and just watched as his boyfriend ordered. "What?" But Kisa sounded less gruff, which just put a smile on Yukina's face.

"Nothing, Kisa-san."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I hope you won't have another hangover, Kisa-san," Yukina said as they walked down the hallway to their room. They'd ended up leaving the reception early, after Kisa had had three glasses of sake and was acting quite happy to be there.

"I'll be fine." Kisa loosened the tie around his neck and reached for his room key. "I just need some sleep. I feel like I was up all night."

Yukina would've made a comment about that, but a door down the hall opened and closed. Kisa and Yukina both turned to see Murakami Shizuka leaving her room, looking ready to go down to the hot springs.

"Oh, good afternoon!" Shizuka called. She bowed before walking down the hall and stopping in front of them. "I thought you two had a wedding to attend."

Kisa just shook his head and muttered something about sleeping off the sake before unlocking the door. Yukina smiled and said, "We had to leave a little early."

"You haven't been down to the hot springs yet, have you? You can join me while Kisa-san rests." Shizuka glanced inside; the door was still open, and Kisa had fallen face-first onto the bed without bothering to undress. He wasn't asleep, though. In fact, he was watching them out of one eye even as he buried his head in one of the pillows.

Yukina smiled. "I'm sorry, Murakami-sensei, but I'd like to spend the rest of the day with Kisa-san." He glanced at Kisa for himself. "We didn't get much time to ourselves at the wedding and reception. There were a lot of people."

Kisa, for his part, turned over so he had his back to them, but if Yukina had been watching, he would've seen that Kisa was smiling as he did so. "Murakami-sensei, if you have time to invite my boyfriend to the hot springs, you have time to start work on your next chapters."

Shizuka hmphed. "I was just trying to be nice! You're probably drunk again."

Kisa waved a hand in the air like it wasn't an issue. "Mildly buzzed. But that's not the point."

"If you're ever visiting your publisher, you should stop at Marimo Books," Yukina said. He reached into the pocket of his coat and produced a business card, handing it to her. "I run the shojo manga section."

Shizuka nodded and was on her way, clutching the card in her hand like it was her greatest treasure. Yukina watched her go until she was around the corner and out of sight. Then he turned to Kisa, who seemed to be asleep by that point. Or at least, pretending to be asleep. He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"I'm sorry I made you travel all the way out here, Kisa-san," he said quietly. "You don't seem to be having much fun."

"What are you talking about?" Kisa, who had obviously been faking sleep, rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. "You didn't make me do anything. Kenichi and Minako offered to pay for me and a guest to use the hot springs, and how could I say no to that?"

"There are plenty of places you could go to the hot springs, Kisa-san." Yukina was smiling, but he sounded kind of tired.

Kisa, of course, didn't really notice this. "Yeah, but you wanted to come here, and it was the end of the month. We still don't see each other nearly enough." He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "You can go down to the hot springs, if you want. I'm gonna nap." He turned over so his back was to Yukina again.

Yukina sat up straight, but then he put a hand in Kisa's hair. "No, I think I'll stay here for a bit." And then he seemed to think of something. "Oh. My grandmother called last night. I told her we'd be in Sapporo for a while tomorrow, so we're going to meet my grandparents at the station." Kisa sat bolt upright at that, his eyes wide. Yukina looked confused. "What's the matter, Kisa-san?"

"I'm not good at meeting family," he muttered, putting his face in his hands.

"You've never done it before?"

Kisa glanced at Yukina, considering his words. "My relationships didn't usually last that long." Or, Kisa thought, his partners thought he was a high school kid and didn't want their parents knowing they were going out with someone so young. Not having to meet the parents was one of the advantages of lying about his age, he supposed.

Yukina smiled. "That means I'm special, right?" He was practically sparkling, the same way he always did when Kisa was watching him from a distance. "Anyway, my grandmother and grandfather are very laidback. I'm sure you'll get along."

"We'll see about that." He glanced over at his shoulder when Yukina just kept running his hands through his hair. "It's not going to be much fun to stay in here while I'm asleep, you know."

Yukina shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. I'd like to spend as much time with you as possible, now that we have the opportunity."

Kisa was clearly blushing, but he just curled in on himself and batted Yukina's hand away. "At least change. You can't be comfortable in that outfit."

Yukina almost said he was fine, but he knew it'd just earn a glare from Kisa. So he nodded and picked up a set of clothes. "Are you going down the springs again tonight, Kisa-san?" he asked as he pulled his dress pants off. When he took another look at his boyfriend, though, Kisa really was asleep. Yukina patted him on the head and went to take another shower.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

There were two things that prevented Kisa from falling asleep on the train ride between Noboribetsu and Sapporo. The first was that, of course, he'd be meeting Yukina's grandparents once they stepped off the train, and he had never seen himself as the kind of person you took home to introduce to your family. The second, and perhaps more counterproductive one, was that he and Yukina had been up most of the night and he was sore. A two hour train ride where he mostly just sat wasn't helping it at all.

Given the second reason, when the train finally pulled into the station and passengers around him moved to get out, he forgot the first reason and bolted, leaving Yukina to take their bags.

"Kisa-san, slow down, you don't even know what they look like." Yukina made his way through the crowd so he could catch up with his boyfriend, politely acknowledging people or saying sorry when he had to push them aside.

Once Kisa registered what Yukina was telling him, he stopped right there, earning glares from passengers who were still determined to get out onto the platform. It was clearly not obvious that he was going through a minor crisis.

"I told you, Kisa-san, you'll be fine." Yukina smiled and wrapped an arm around Kisa's shoulders after Kisa took his own bag. Neither of them seemed to really care that they were in the middle of a crowded station, with hundreds of eyes on them at any given moment. Who cared what they thought anyway?

Now Yukina's grandparents, Kisa cared what _they_ thought. He never thought it would be that important to him, but then, just a year ago, he never thought he'd be in a relationship that warranted this kind of meeting. It was a conundrum.

"Kou!" It was an older man, sitting on a bench near one of the doors to the station. It looked like he hadn't gotten much farther in. The station was busy and, Kisa supposed, he couldn't be blamed for just giving up and waiting for them there. When he saw his grandson, though, Yukina's grandfather stood up, cracked his back a bit and covered the short distance between them.

"Hi, Grandpa." Yukina smiled as he hugged his grandfather, who was shorter than him but didn't look the least bit awkward. Kisa had always wondered if Yukina had been tall his entire life, and given the easy interaction, he supposed he had. When the hug was done, Yukina looked around. "Where's Grandma?"

"At the restaurant, saving a table. You know how she is." Yukina's grandfather rolled his eyes, landing his gaze on Kisa. Kisa had slowly been backing away so he could hide behind Yukina, but apparently, it wasn't going to work. Perceptiveness was a trait Yukina didn't get from his grandparents, apparently. "And this is?"

Yukina grinned and pulled Kisa fully into the open again. "Kisa Shouta. He's the one I went to the wedding with."

As they started walking, Yukina's grandfather stared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Is he a classmate of yours?"

And there it was, of course. The fact that he could, apparently, pass for a twenty-one-year-old (and even younger, as he had in the past) was more of a curse than anything at that point. Kisa remained silent, though, a look on his face that spoke volumes to Yukina. He may not have been very perceptive, but he did know what Kisa's various expressions meant. You kind of needed to if you were going to spend time with him.

"No," Yukina said with a smile. "He's actually an editor. He worked on most of my favorite manga."

By the time they reached the restaurant, Yukina had told his grandfather all about Kisa and how he was an awesome manga editor and that Yukina had worked hard to sell as many copies of his authors' releases as he could. Kisa interjected at one point that his methods were too over-the-top, but Yukina just smiled at him before continuing on. He only stopped when they got through the doors and an older woman waved them over.

Once they sat down, the first words Kisa and Yukina were greeted with were, "So this is your boyfriend, Kou," along with a huge smile.

Kisa wouldn't have been able to utter a word if his life depended on it.

XXX

"Oh he grew like a weed as soon as he hit puberty," Yukina's grandmother said. They had been sitting in the restaurant for almost two hours by then, the food long-eaten. The train to Tokyo would be boarding soon, but no one seemed to realize this.

"Grandma," Yukina said, leaning back in his chair and looking embarrassed. "How do you even know when I started puberty?"

"Your voice cracked until you were sixteen," his grandfather offered.

Yukina bowed his head and stared at the plate that the waitress hadn't yet come to clear. Kisa had never seen him embarrassed in his life; he was usually the one doing things that made people blush and stutter (mainly him, but there was also his fan club at the bookstore).

The one thing that hadn't come up, of course, was how old Kisa actually was, which became clear when Yukina's grandmother asked, "So did you two meet at the university? I'm guessing Kisa-san is older since he has a full-time job."

Kisa snorted. He was feeling a lot more comfortable now. "Nah, we met at the bookstore he works at." Kisa eyed Yukina, who was smiling now but still looking like he wanted to disappear into the booth cushions. "I'm older than I look."

"Oh?" Yukina's grandmother looked interested.

"I'll be thirty-one in a couple months." He refrained from making any comments about feeling old, considering the couple before him were probably at least twice his age. Kisa picked up his glass and drank the last of the water in, managing to put it down before Yukina took him by the arm.

"Kisa-san, we need to get to the train or we'll miss it," he pointed out. "I was glad I could see you both. Maybe you can come to Tokyo next time." Yukina bowed to his grandparents and they were off.

They were in the train station before Yukina started talking again.

"I didn't know your birthday was coming up so soon," he said, because that was obviously the most important part of the conversation.

"Well… I don't think I've ever told you when my birthday is." Kisa grimaced as he and Yukina made it onto the train just as the doors closed behind them.

"When is it?"

Kisa glanced down the row until he spotted their seats. "I'll tell you when we get home."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kenichi called Kisa near the end of March to say he was on a business trip to Tokyo and ask if he could crash at Kisa's place. It would, Kenichi reasoned to the almost-dead Kisa, be cheaper than staying in a hotel for the few days it would take and besides, they hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time together during the wedding for obvious reasons. Kisa had just nodded and muttered directions to his place from the train station Kenichi would be arriving at. He still had two authors to wait for final pages from, and he didn't even think there would be anything wrong with it.

It was almost one am when Kisa stumbled into his place. Considering it was the last day before they had to get everything into the printer before begging for an extension, this was actually pretty good for him.

"Kisa-san!" And there was Yukina, at the door helping Kisa, who had been ready to just fall asleep in his entryway.

Kisa just waved Yukina off, until he noticed Kenichi was asleep on his couch, a magazine over his face. Upon closer inspection, it was the latest issue of Emerald. The last time Kisa had seen his personal copy, he had thrown it onto the floor in frustration two days ago when he realized that none of his authors were going to get their material in on time and there was no way he had the energy to bug them and give them death threats like he had back in February. Then he'd stormed out of his apartment just as Yukina had gotten in from his evening class because he needed to talk to Takano and he knew where he lived.

That, however, was a story for another day.

Kisa stared at Kenichi for probably a minute before sighing and putting down his bags.

"And I completely forgot I said he could stay here," he said, just falling down onto the floor since Kenichi was taking up the entire couch. He glanced around, half-expecting his apartment to look like a war zone like it used to whenever the end of the cycle came. His apartment, however, was spotless, right down to the fact that Yukina had picked up his bag and put it out of the way when he was busy staring at Kenichi.

Yukina smiled and hugged Kisa. "You should probably go to bed, Kisa-san," he said.

He was sorely tempted to just go into his bedroom and collapse without showering or changing, but the sleeping Kenichi on his couch was just begging for a rude awakening. So he pushed Yukina away, went over to Kenichi, took the magazine from his face, rolled it up, and slapped him across the face with it. Kenichi jumped in surprise with an, "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"You are such a lightweight," Kisa said, glancing over at the clock on his wall. He had gotten home at exactly 1am, and it was now 1:05. "Since when are you in bed before two?"

"Since Minako told me I need to grow up and get a decent sleeping pattern," he said. His eyes shifted over to the kitchen; Yukina had, apparently, not done the dishes in a while, so he had wandered in there to do so while Kisa and Kenichi were talking. "I didn't know you two lived together. I could've gotten a hotel and left you alone."

If Kisa were the kind of person to blush, he probably would've right then. "We don't actually live together. He comes and goes as he pleases," he said, folding his arms instead. "Cooks for me, cleans when I'm busy at work."

"…so he's basically a housewife?" Kenichi seemed infinitely amused by this scenario. Kisa smacked him with the issue of Emerald again, and Kenichi frowned and rubbed the red spot it had left on his forehead. "Since when are you so violent?"

"I'll get you a real pillow and a blanket, but I need to get to bed," Kisa said, heading towards his closet. Then he looked back to see Kenichi was watching him. "What?"

"I was just remembering what I thought when we graduated," he said. He was hiding behind the arm of the couch, only his eyes visible. Kisa couldn't help but think of a small child. When Kisa just stared at him, he continued with, "You'd already gotten your job at that publisher, remember? I thought you'd need a nice woman to take care of you, because you were always going on about the horror stories of editing manga."

Kisa glanced over to Yukina. The younger man had put those giant headphones of his over his ears and seemed to be listening to music as he did the dishes, but Kisa couldn't be sure. He'd put on his headphones and failed to start his music before. It wasn't that he wanted to eavesdrop on conversations so much as he seriously just forgot. He turned back to Kenichi when he realized his friend was saying something, though.

"Being married isn't all it's cracked up to be, though," Kenichi said, turning over so he was laying on his back again. He frowned when Kisa threw a pillow and folded-up blanket at him. "Well it's not!"

"You haven't even been married a month," Kisa said. "And didn't you just get home from your honeymoon?"

"Yeah, we went to Italy," Kenichi said, staring at the ceiling. "But Minako and I have been together on and off for ten years now. It's not like it's different. Except maybe the sex. Never marry for the sex."

Kisa slammed closed the door to his closet. His friend's sex life wasn't something he was interested in, mostly because Kenichi was a straight man. "Just go to sleep. I'm going to bed. Ask Yukina if you need anything."

"Minako's pregnant." It came out so suddenly that Kisa turned around to look at Kenichi, just to make sure he'd actually heard that. "Only a few weeks. She's already making these huge plans, though. She wants one of my friends to be its godfather."

"Well, good luck with that," Kisa said.

"What, you wouldn't want to take the role? Not like you're going to have children," Kenichi said, only half joking.

"No I'm not. I'll be an editor of shojo manga until I retire, at which point I'll let someone else take care of me because I'll deserve it if I live that long." His phone beeped, and he looked at it. He'd turned the ringer off as soon as he left the office, which was why he was currently looking at a voice mail alert from Murakami Shizuka, who'd been the last one to get her manuscript in on time. "Speaking of that…" Before he could play it, though, Yukina had plucked his phone from his hand.

"Go to bed, Kisa-san," he said. "Murakami-sensei can wait."

Kisa muttered something no one caught before following orders.

Kenichi snickered as got up so he could change out of his business suit. "Looks like you already have someone taking care of you."

A very venomous "Shut up!" came from the general direction of Kisa's bedroom.


End file.
